Before the Game
by JaydenNara
Summary: Before Naruto became a kickass,emotionless agent with a dark past, he lived a nearly ordinary life with his dad and brother as an agent in training: hung out with friends, hit on girls, and caused chaos. That changed when he witnessed the horrific death of his father, and his life spiraled into a pit of self-loathing, hate, and anger. Prequel to This is Not a Game.


**Before the Game**

A This is Not a Game prequel

Rain pounded against the roof of the rebuilt cherry red Mustang while the wipers beat furiously to keep the torrent of rain at bay and the windshield clear. In the passenger seat, forehead pressed to the cool glass, Naruto Uzumaki watched the rain bead against the window and trickle down in continuous streams. He sighed. His breath fogged the window and further obscured his vision of city streets and blurred lights.

Rain. Naruto despised rain. It served no other purpose than to remind him of the pain, misery, and suffering in the the world - everything he strived to protect his charges from.

"It's not your fault."

Naruto barely spared his older brother a glance. "Yes it is."

Kurama's fingers tightened around the leather steering wheel of his baby. "You can't save everyone," he said. The click of the blinker filled the silence that hung in the air. "You did your job."

"Because I couldn't do my job, that little girl is dead." Naruto's chest heaved as he glared across the front seat at his brother. His fingers tightened around the leather seat and his body trembled.

The Mustang pulled off the main road onto a quiet side street that parents would call the scenic route when they wanted to avoid traffic. Kurama studied his enraged brother out of the corner of his eye. Anger was good. Anger was more emotion than Naruto had shown in three days.

"You're fourteen," Kurama murmured. The car splashed through a large puddle. Water sprayed up over the sidewalk in a huge wave, and normally, they would both take a little joy in the sight. "You shouldn't have been assigned that mission. You did everything you could, but-"

"Kyuu-"

"But her family put her in that situation," Kurama barked over top of Naruto's interruption.

"She was nine!" Naruto exploded. His fist slammed against the dashboard and he snarled. He had done everything he could, but she still died.

Staring down at his hands, Naruto could see the blood dripping and her still, pale body sprawled on the floor like a rag doll. He began to shiver uncontrollably. SOUND agents were monsters. They had no souls - mindlessly programed to rape, pillage, and plunder. They were nothing more than pirates with less morals. They sought to control the underground and run the city.

Heat blasted through the vents, but Kurama knew the added warmth would provide no comfort for his brother. "I know," he sighed as he pulled up to the curb in front of a impressive building away from the hustle and bustle of the city with a large bronze plaque that hung outside.

'Konoha General Hospital'

"Naruto, you can't dwell on the past. It's the past. It's gone. And you can't change it. You have to put it behind you, or you'll never move forward. People need you. They depend on you."

Naruto snorted. "You sound like Iruka."

Arms crossed over his chest, Naruto leaned back in his seat. The leather squeaked. He stared out the rain dotted window at the hospital building looming over them. Visitors ran to and from the entrance trying to avoid the inevitable soaking from the frigid weather. Two degrees lower and the rain would turn to snow.

"Well, maybe he's right?" When it became apparent Naruto wasn't going to move, Kurama killed the engine.

For twenty minutes, they sat listening to the rain against the convertible top. No words were spoken. Just as Kurama opened his mouth to speak, Naruto finally kicked open the door and stepped into the freezing rain.

"I doubt it," he muttered. He slammed the door behind him, shoved his hands into his pockets, and set off for the front door of the hospital.

Kurama waited for his younger brother to reach the entrance, completely drenched, and enter the building before he started the engine. Sighing, he brushed the fiery red bangs off his face and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. An agent for LEAF had not been the life he planned for, but followed after his brother when he joined the ranks so he could protect him. Flicking on the blinker, Kurama pulled away from the curb. He had a Psych test to study for.

* * *

The slam of the front door echoed through the modest family home. Kurama kicked off his runners and tossed his soaked burgundy hoodie over the wooden coat rack next to the front door. Little puddles formed under the abandoned shoes in the middle of the front foyer. He took the stairs two at a time.

"Dad?"

"In the den," a voice called further down the hall.

Storming down the hall, Kurama burst into the den to find his father on the black leather couch with his feet up on the coffee table and paperwork scattered over his lap. Hokage duties stole a large chunk of time that should be spent with his family, but his father owed him ten minutes at the very least. Breathing ragged, he towered over his father.

Minato Namikaze peered up at his seething son over the reading glasses perched on his nose and arched a single eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We need to talk." Kurama's words were clipped and punctuated by the hint of a growl. Fiery tendrils of wet hair framed his face.

Sighing, Minato tossed aside the folder of documents he had been pouring over. He sat up with his feet on the floor as he folded his glasses and set them on the table. "About?"

"Naruto."

Elbows on his knees, Minato leaned forward, brow furrowed.

When his father made no move to question him, Kurama hissed. "Why was he sent on that mission?" he demanded. He kept his voice low, as if afraid to disturb the empty house. "He's not even a full agent, and the grade was well beyond his typeset."

Minato sighed and rubbed his jaw. "That was regrettable. Unfortunately, it seems the intelligence team's information was incomplete," he said. He held up his hands to quiet Kurama when his son looked ready in interrupt. "A more senior agent should have been given the task."

"Do you not even care about how your son is doing?" Kurama shouted. His arms flailed about in his rage. Naruto still had a shadow. A shadow that was suspiciously absent from a field operation above his primary level. "Naruto hasn't been the same since he was sent out."

"He's a LEAF agent that has shown great potential in-"

"He's fourteen!" Kurama's voice echoed through the empty house.

Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose. His chest rose and fell in shallow pants as he struggled to regain control. Outside, rain pounded against the windows, and an uneasy chill swept through the room.

"God, sometimes I wish mom was here to see this," Kurama said, a little too pleased when his father flinched. On the wall, a 8x11 photo of their mother hung above the unlit fireplace. He shared her fiery hair and Naruto stole her personality - a personality quickly vanishing. "To see what's become of our family."

The couch creaked and groaned as Minato sank back against the cushions. "That's not fair," he murmured. He stared longingly at the photo of his beloved wife who died bringing his youngest into the world. "I'm Hokage. I have an entire agency beneath me that looks to me for direction. LEAF saves lives and protects the innocent."

Kurama snorted. "Yeah, at the expense of your sons." Turning on his heels, Kurama stormed out of the room leaving a damp trail behind him.

"Kurama. Kurama!"

* * *

Wednesday morning found Naruto in one of three designated classrooms with his two childhood friends, Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara, and their class of six. At the front of the room, their private tutor droned on and on about the quadratic equation on the board. Naruto didn't feel the need to participate.

Three days a week, he and other young agents his age attended two classes a day for six hours. Classes included five subjects, and a period of physical activity. The agency insisted that agents maintain peak physical and mental condition. This semester, their class played volleyball with the two classes about them while Shikamaru tended to laze about on the sidelines. No one could argue. LEAF needed him, and he was set to graduate at the end of the semester. Even if Naruto played his cards right, he couldn't graduate for another two years.

A paperball smacked Naruto in the side of the head, and he jerked out of his daydream of leaping out of the window to freedom. He'd already missed too many classes in the last few weeks.

"So? So! How was your first solo mission?" Kiba whispered. When Naruto didn't respond right away, he balled up another sheet of blank paper and lobbed it at his friend's head. "Was it awesome? I bet it was awesome."

Tapping the pink eraser on the end of his pencil against his desk, Naruto tore his attention away from the window. In the desk next to him, Kiba excitedly bounced in his seat while Shikamaru dozed with his head down on the desk in front of him and drooled on his math test he'd completed in the first ten minutes of class.

With a soft snort, Shikamaru lifted his head off his desk and wiped the drool from his chin. "Kiba, shut up and sit down," he grumbled. For a brief second, he scrutinized Naruto, then lay his head back down on his arms. "If he wants to talk about it, he will."

Shikamaru caught Naruto's eye, and Naruto gave him a grateful half-smile as the classroom fell silent.

A piece of chalk nailed Kiba in the side of the head when he opened his mouth to protest.

"Pay attention!"

Eyes frighteningly wide, Kiba jumped to attention. He sat rigid in his seat. "Yes, ma'am."

Hands on her hips, their teacher, a young woman with long dark, wavy brown hair and unnaturally red eyes glared at the three troublemakers. Impatiently huffing, she smoothed the wrinkles from her white blouse and checkered skirt. "Good. Now, can anyone solve this problem?" she asked the class.

No one moved. Again, the teacher sighed.

"Right. Shikamaru, come solve the problem on the board." The teacher waved Shikamaru to join her at the front by the board.

Grumbling under his breath, Shikamaru sluggishly shuffled to the front with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders slouched. Unbeknownst to him, Kiba tilted his head to the left, eyes glued on the swell of Shikamaru's ass in their standard issue slacks.

When Shikamaru accepted the chalk from their teacher, Naruto caught Kiba's attention and wiggled his eyebrows. Nine years ago, Kiba and Naruto met in kindergarten. They attended elementary school together until they graduated the seventh grade in the public system before they chose to join LEAF under the KAGE program for young recruits.

During the entrance ceremony, they met Shikamaru when he casually lit the fuse of the 26 Roman Candles Naruto and Kiba painstakingly wired to the stage after the two pranksters were caught before they could bring about chaos, and Kiba was smitten. Being the marvelous best friend he is, Naruto took every opportunity to mock Kiba.

Focused intently on his untouched notebook, Kiba blushed bright red as the PA crackled to life.

"_Shikamaru Nara, please report to the briefing room."_

Yawning, Shikamaru dropped the chalk back on the ledge without even a single mark on the board and stretched. "Right. See ya later." Hands linked behind his head, he casually strode out the door as the teacher scowled.

The door banged closed and Naruto and Kiba snickered into their hands. Seconds later, a chalk brush nailed Naruto in the side of the head with a puff of chalk dust.

* * *

A strobe light pulsed. Saturday afternoon, Konoha's youth swarmed the mall to loiter and occasionally spend their hard earned allowance. Teenagers hovered in packs around arcade games, and a young couple groped and swapped fluids in the dark corner of the dim lit arcade of the Konoha Mall.

Hands shoved in his pockets, Naruto scanned the rows of games for his friends. A few machines down, Naruto spotted Kiba casually leaning against Street Fighter and slurping a Big Gulp with a bottle of ginger ale tucked under his arm while he watched Shikamaru play over his shoulder. He meandered over, sidestepping other teenagers hyped-up on copious amounts of sugar and caffeine.

"Sup." Naruto bumped fists with Kiba. "You lose already, dog breath, or is Shika beatin' the baddies for you again."

"Shut up." Kiba punched Naruto in the shoulder hard enough to bruise before he returned to watching over Shikamaru's shoulder.

Only, the game didn't hold Kiba's interest; Shikamaru did. While Shikamaru systematically defeated the boss Kiba failed to six times in a row and wasted a buck fifty in quarters, Kiba held Shikamaru's drink and a bag from Blue Notes with two new pairs of jeans. Naruto talked Shikamaru into buying them when he noticed Kiba drooling over his legs.

Intently focused on the screen, Shikamaru sharply jabbed a few buttons and yanked the joystick before the screen flashed 'WINNER'. "All yours. I'm gonna get skittles. Anyone want something?"

"Maybe a pretzel, you know, if it's not too much trouble," Kiba half mumbled as he handed off Shikamaru's belongings and replaced Shikamaru at the game. Their hands touched.

For a brief moment, Shikamaru and Kiba's eyes met. Neither of them spoke. The moment shattered when an older, bulkier teen in a high school sports jacket, shoved by one of his friends, nailed Shikamaru with flailing limbs and twice his own body weight. Abandoning his game, Kiba caught Shikamaru before the younger agent collided with the side of the Pac-Man game beside them.

"Watch it asshole!" Kiba ignored the miffed jock half-heartedly apologizing in favour of inspecting Shikamaru for a sign of physical damage. No cuts or bruises. "You alright, Shika?"

Snuggly held in Kiba's arms, Shikamaru patiently waited for Kiba to finish his quick appraisal. "Fine. Asuma kicks my ass harder than that on a weekly basis."

Naruto cleared his throat. He almost laughed when Kiba jumped, and they both scrambled to put an appropriate amount of distance between them.

"Uh... skittles, preztel. Right," Shikamaru mumbled. He dusted invisible dust off his clothing and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Nar?"

"Nah, I'm good," Naruto said with a casual wave of his hand.

The abandoned game ticked down the final seconds for revival via quarters. When Kiba dove for Shikamaru, he forfeited the game and sacrificed his character. 'GAME OVER' flashed on the screen.

Kiba watched Shikamaru disappear in the crowd, and Naruto rolled his eyes. For the last year, Kiba had pined over Shikamaru, and yet, he never made an advance. If only Naruto could nudge them in the right direction. No luck so far.

Naruto body checked Kiba into the side of Street Fighter. The old metal frame shuddered. "Shika still beatin' the bosses for you?"

"Shut up, man," Kiba said. They tussled for a minute, knocking into people without apologizing, until they staggered apart panting. Raking one hand through his hair, Kiba pointed accusingly at Naruto. "I can whoop your ass anytime, anywhere. Just name it."

"Right here, right now. Zombie Mania. Sudden death." Naruto returned the gesture, jabbing his finger with each short phrase for emphasis.

"You're on." The feral grin that split Kiba's face crinkled the corners of his eyes.

Wheeling around, Naruto bumped into an older teen in his race to beat Kiba to the first-person shooter at the far end of the arcade. "Sorry, man. Didn't see you," he said. He nearly sputtered to a stop when he looked up into piercing onyx eyes set in a striking pale face framed with inky black bangs. Kiba zipped by them unhindered.

"No harm done," the older teen said. He appeared to be in his late teens, around Kurama's age. Seventeen maybe. He brushed off the arm of his blazer as a young boy darted towards them and tugged on the teen's sleeve.

The youngster, no older than eleven or twelve, possessed the same dark eyes and inky bangs, but instead of a low ponytail like his older clone, his hair boasted strange feathery spikes.

"Nii-san, can I have more quarters?" the boy asked with huge eyes filled with sweetness and hero worship. "I wanna play the alien game."

"It's may I," the older teen corrected, but a small smile cracked his stony expression. He fished out four quarters from his pocket and handed them to his younger brother before he trailed after the excited pre-teen. "Don't run, otouto. You'll hurt yourself."

Yanked out of his stupor by Kiba's taunts across the arcade, Naruto weaved through the hormonal mass of teenage bodies. He offered up the monetary sacrifice. Light-weight faux firearms locked, loaded, and ready for action, he slammed his hand on the giant flashing red button. Zombies lurched at them.

Naruto fired off two rounds. Two zombies fell. Head shots. "Loser buys lunch."

Three more shots. Kiba lead by one. "Deal."

Ten minutes later, the scores in a constant cycle of cat and mouse, Shikamaru finally wandered over with his skittles and a salted soft-pretzel for Kiba to the dark corner with softly glowing neon lights mounted on the ceiling where Zombie Mania sat . He sprawled in one of four hard plastic seats that belonged the racecar game and propped his feet up on the steering wheel while he tossed skittles and caught them in his mouth. The game wouldn't end anytime soon, so he might as well make himself comfortable for the no doubt lengthy duration. Their last game held a record of forty seven minutes.

No zombie survived the massacre. Kiba and Naruto effectively disabled every zombie on screen with precision. No hesitation.

A shadow fell over Shikamaru lounging. He peeked one eye open to find a high school senior and three cronies towering over him. "Can I help you?" he drawled. "You're blocking my neon glow."

"Get the fuck out of the chair. We wanna play the fucking game."

Kiba's accuracy dropped steadily.

Unhurried, Shikamaru dropped his feet to the floor of the game. He rolled his shoulders and his back cracked. "I didn't hear the magic word, bucko. Let's try that again."

The senior grabbed Shikamaru by the front of the shirt and lifted him several inches off the seat. "I said fucking move."

Shoved hard, Shikamaru's head cracked against the steering wheel as he tumbled, and he crumpled to the ground. He had never been one for confrontation, but his mouth often landed him in a heap of trouble.

Forfeiting the game, his character mauled in seconds, Kiba lurched forward. The plastic gun swung from its cord. He grabbed the senior by the back of the jacket and swung him around in time to meet his fist. His training kicked in. He swept the legs, and in seconds, had the punk easily twice his size who dared touch Shikamaru pinned painfully to the sticky floor.

"Oi! What the fuck, Kiba," Naruto shouted. Unlike Kiba, he shot the final three zombies - Kiba's character already dead - and replaced the plastic semi-automatic rifle in the holder. Abandoning the game that flashed outrageous high scores dominated by the initials NU and KI, Naruto hauled his friend off the flailing and cursing highschooler.

Clamoring out of the seat well where he landed, Shikamaru gently wiped the back of his wrist under his nose. A smear of blood stained his olive skin. "Kiba, I'm fine. Let's just go."

As if Shikamaru hit the pause button, Kiba's vain attempt to free himself from Naruto's full-nelson halted. "Oh my god," he said. Significantly calmer, he easily slid free of Naruto's hold and wiped the sluggish blood from Shikamaru's upper lip. "Your nose. Shit. Does it hurt?"

"It's fine. I'm fine," Shikamaru assured, a hint of his childhood southern accent slipping through. "Let's get out of here before the mall cop finally waddles over. Your mama will kill you."

For the first time that afternoon, Kiba's eyes widened with genuine fear. "Oh shit," said under his breath. On his way out, he landed one last solid kick to the punk-ass senior's side for good measure.

After facing criminals and villains, only one person frightened Kiba. One time he forgot to pick up his dirty laundry and his mom strung his dirty underwear up on the flagpole in front of their house. Tsume Inuzuka was a fierce tracking agent, and Kiba knew better than to cross her. Nothing escaped her notice.

Hands stuffed in his pockets, Naruto trailed behind while Kiba fretted over Shikamaru. Maybe one day he'd find someone to shield and protect. Unbidden, thoughts of dark hair and piercing eyes came to his mind. He shivered. More Kurama's type than Naruto's.

"Who's hungry? Kiba's buyin'."

* * *

"So briefing room, huh? That's happening more often." Naruto slurped his root beer noisily through the straw. He threw an arm over the empty chair beside him and glanced around the bustling food court. A few cute girls walked by, and he winked. They giggled.

Even if someone were to eavesdrop, their conversation revealed nothing of consequence, or so Naruto hoped. He'd leave the concern to Shikamaru. That's was his forte.

Shikamaru shrugged and poked the limp broccoli in his stir-fry. Kiba's didn't appear anymore appetizing. "My dad was in the field and they required tactical analysis. Troublesome, if you ask me," he said and propped his chin on his closed fist.

Naruto snorted into his ramen as he inhaled his food. He never got called into ops above his grade. If he had been in Shikamaru's shoes, he would have been stolen a bottle of his dad's scotch to celebrate. "Figures."

"Dude, I can't wait till we drop our shadows," Kiba said between shoveling mouthfuls of beef and veggies into his mouth.

."Doesn't bother me," Shikamaru said as he scanned the crowd chattering around them. His eyes darted to the balcony above them before he returned to his meal.

Out of the three of them, Shikamaru saw the least action. On a good day, he half-heartedly participated in training exercises. If by a stroke of good fortune Naruto landed on Shikamaru's team, he walked away with a guaranteed win, and so did anyone else partnered with the laziest junior agent in LEAF. Shikamaru's strategy and logic stood unparalleled, but so was his tendency to slack off and watch clouds from the roof of LEAF headquarters.

Wiping sauce from his face with the back of his hand, Kiba chugged his iced tea. "That's because you don't have, Gemna," he whined. He childishly scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, but when he noticed Shikamaru texting instead of paying attention, his scowled transformed into a pout.

"My shadow reads porn," Naruto pointed out with a jab of his fork in Kiba's direction. His phone chimed in his pocket to alert him to a text just as Shikamaru slid his own phone back into his pocket. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Porn my godfather wrote."

"Didn't he read that shit to you as a bedtime story?"

"Hm?" Naruto had pulled out his phone to read his message. "Yeah. Thank god I was too young to remember."

_From Boy Wonder: You've got a tail at 5 o'clock. Balcony. Followed from the arcade. _

_To From Boy Wonder: r u shitting me? wtf? _

Using the reflective screen of his phone, Naruto tried to catch a glimpse of his tail. All he could see were several moving blurs and one stationary. That told him nothing.

_To Ra-ma-la-ma-ding-dong: yo. did dad set a tail on me?_

While he waited for a reply, Naruto wolfed down his ramen, ready to leave at any moment. His phone buzzed on the table and he snatched it up.

_From Ra-ma-la-ma-ding-dong: Where are you?_

_To Ra-ma-la-ma-ding-dong: food court. y? wuts up?_

The reply came before Naruto could even put his phone down.

_From Ra-ma-la-ma-ding-dong: I'm on my way. Don't move!_

"Kurama's coming to get me," Naruto sighed. He adopted Shikamaru's posture and leaned on his hand. So much for his day with the guys. Between training, D-rank missions, and classes, they rarely saw civilian life.

"What?" Kiba tensed, ready to flip the table. "Come on, man. We're suppose to see that new haunting movie. It looks freaky as shit."

A chopstick nailed Kiba in the forehead. If there had been a target drawn, it would have landed dead center. Seconds later, his phone barked to announce a new text just as Shikamaru pocketed his own phone again.

A few tables over, the two dark haired brothers ate lunch. The younger one jabbered away excitedly between little cherry tomatoes from the salad bar while the older brother smiled and nodded along indulgently to everything his brother said. Naruto smiled sadly. He and Kurama rarely had time for one another anymore, and though they tried to make time in their schedules, the intimate bond the had a children had slowly begun to dissipate. He missed his brother.

Twirling his last chopstick between his fingers, Naruto watched the comprehension sink in as Kiba read his text. He flicked the chopstick over Kiba's head at the garbage can. It bounced once of the rim and dropped in.

"Oh..." Kiba shoved his cell back into the pocket of his hoodie. "So, wanna catch him?"

Naruto grinned. That's exactly the reckless disregard for LEAF protocol that Naruto admired in his best friend. Shoving back from the table, he chugged the last of the salty ramen broth before he tossed the empty Styrofoam container in the trash. "Read my mind. Let's go."

Slouched in his seat, Shikamaru didn't move an inch.

Already on his feet, Kiba crept closer to Shikamaru and poked him in the cheek. No response. "Shika?"

While simultaneously rolling his eyes and rubbing the back of his head, Shikamaru sighed. "... fine. Here's the plan."

* * *

Bumping fists with Kiba, Naruto parted ways with his friends and hopped on the escalator to the second floor. The plan was for Naruto to lure the tail away from the general population to avoid collateral damage. Kiba and Shikamaru would circle back for the take-down. Hands shoved deep into his pockets, Naruto shuffled down the crowded corridor casting the occasionally surreptitious glance in the shined store display windows as he passed. If he had a tail, he hung back far enough that Naruto couldn't catch a visual.

Overhead, a sign with various helpful symbols offered directions to shoppers. The large P and an arrow pointing the left signaled parking. Naruto darted around a heavy-set woman waddling in a moo-moo and dashed down a service hall, past the bathrooms. His feet slapped against the concrete. He took a running leap onto the banister of the stairs, and slid to the lower parking garage.

Behind him, hurried footsteps echoed down the stairwell. He sprinted down the second hall and slammed into the closed door that lead to the garage. It didn't budge.

Sadly, it took him several seconds longer than it should have to realize the door read PULL. Thank god Kiba wasn't there to witness his moment of unsurpassed stupidity. He already had enough fuel to burn him with.

Flinging the door open, Naruto tore down the rows of cars in search of shelter. Three rows down sat a truck that dwarfed the cars around it. The door he entered through slammed open. Options low, he sprinted down the aisle, head low, and dove under the truck. The rough concrete ripped at his knees as he crawled to safety.

Footsteps drew closer. Naruto jumped, bashing his head on the underside of the truck when an engine roared to life several rows away. Over the noise of the retreating car, he strained to hear his assailants footsteps. If his tail was not LEAF, they were a threat. Kurama would not have insisted on retrieving him if it were a friendly, and that made Naruto question what his brother and father were keeping from him.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are. I know you're down here. Don't worry. My boss only wants to talk to you, Naruto Namikaze." A pair of heavy, standard issue boots stopped ten feet away from Naruto's hiding place.

Naruto snorted. He may have believed his statement easier if it wasn't followed by the click of a loaded gun being cocked. In that moment, he regretted his decision to disobey Kurama. If his brother told him to hold his position in the food court for retrieval, he should have followed orders.

As a junior agent, he wasn't privy to a great deal of information, but he managed to glean a great deal from listening in on his family. When he could, he planted bugs in the Hokage's office at headquarters, but they yielded very little since they were discovered rather quickly. He didn't like being in the dark. As Hokage, his father had made a number of enemies - enemies that would not hesitate to use his sons as leverage against him. Naruto wanted to be prepared, but by disobeying a senior officer, he not only endangered his own life, but his friends as well.

The tail retreated. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when the boots disappeared from sight. Where were Kiba and Shikamaru? They should have arrived by now. Naruto gnawed on his lower lip.

Naruto's cell phone rang in his pocket. Fumbling for his phone, he bashed his head on the underside of the truck. The screen flashed Ra-ma-la-ma-ding-dong. His brother was calling for his location. In his rush to silence the device, Naruto accidentally answered the call.

Two hands closed around his ankles and Naruto dropped his phone "Kurama! Kurama, I'm in the parking garage!" he screamed at the phone just out of reach. His fingers clawed at the ground, but he failed to find purchase, and he was dragged out from under the truck.

* * *

It's been awhile. I've been busy with University where I'm currently working on my bachelors degree and don't particularly have time for fanfiction, but I still write when I have the time, which is usually ten minutes between classes or rare downtime when I'm not working.

You'll notice that I've changed Kyuubi's name to Kurama in this fic unlike the sequel 'This is Not a Game', but I'm currently rewriting that story, and it'll be change to match this one.

Hopefully you liked the first part of this prequel. It'll be a three-shot. Second part coming soon.

Review!


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